Reborn in the Entertainment Industry: This Top Star Has Real Achievements

A few seconds later, Damien opened the car door and sat down next to Li Xiang again.

But his face was full of guilt, as if he had committed a terrible crime: "Li, I'm so sorry..."

Before he could finish his apology, Li Xiang interrupted him.

"This has nothing to do with you, so you don't need to apologize to me."

To his utter surprise, Damien reached out and hugged him tightly, patting him hard on the back several times.

"I know you must be feeling bad. Ultimately, I also bear some responsibility for this. I hope you won't take it to heart."

The sudden hug left Li Xiang frozen in his seat, his eyes slightly darting around, his mind filled with thoughts of "Who am I?" and "Where am I?"

He couldn't understand why Damien would react this way.

The worst part was that being hugged by a man on such a hot day made him feel uncomfortable all over.

He could only quickly reassure her: "Alright, alright, it has nothing to do with you. Besides, my greatest virtue is that I don't hold grudges."

Hearing this, Damien's emotions calmed down a little.

He straightened Li Xiang's shoulder, looked him over repeatedly, and only after confirming that the other person's emotions were indeed stable did he let out a long breath.

Before Damien could say anything more, they had already arrived at their destination.

Li Xiang quickly opened the car door and got out.

Out of courtesy, or perhaps to avoid making things too awkward, Li Xiang and Damien did not go in first, but waited for a while.

Only then did Michael have the opportunity to step forward and bow to Li Xiang.

"Li, I apologize for what I did in the past, and I hope you don't mind."

"I also swear to God that what just happened was absolutely not my doing."

After being given another serious talking-to, Li Xiang finally seemed to have come to his senses.

The stick of racial discrimination had already begun to exert its power during this period.

In their minds, he had just suffered very serious emotional trauma, which is why he came to apologize repeatedly.

Faced with this situation, what could he say? He could only follow the other party's logic.

And he did indeed suffer a great deal of psychological harm.

The thought crossed his mind, and he calmly said, "Let bygones be bygones. So much time has passed, I'm not going to hold a grudge."

Seeing that Li Xiang had relented, Matt's tense and unpleasant expression finally relaxed.

"I have already initiated the dismissal process for that security guard."

"Not only that, the company will also sue him, and I believe he will have already been fired by the time you leave the studio."

"On behalf of the company, I apologize to you for what happened. We never expected that there would be such a narrow-minded person in our company."

As expected of this subsidiary, they're all just going through the motions, bowing and apologizing nicely, but doing absolutely nothing of substance.

Li Xiang neither accepted Matt's explanation nor made any sarcastic remarks, but instead turned his attention to Michael.

"Can we go see the finished film now?"

The lights in the screening room were not yet fully on, and the last image on the screen had not completely gone dark.

The large screening room was quiet, with only the faint hum of the air conditioner running.

Li Xiang sat quietly in his seat, lost in thought.

It wasn't until Matt and Michael stood up and applauded that he snapped out of his daze and reached out to give Damien a tight hug.

It was only at this moment that the pent-up excitement in my heart was finally released.

Having filmed so many movies, this was the first time he had felt this way.

With the enhancement of the soundtrack, editing, and lighting and color grading, he felt that the person on the screen possessed a dazzling and mesmerizing charm.

He even had a fleeting thought that this was really my performance.

Not only Li Xiang, but Matt, who was watching the finished film for the first time, was also deeply moved.

Watching Li Xiang passionately interacting with Damien, he could hardly believe that the two young people had actually created a film that would be recorded in film history.

Thinking of this, he glared at Michael, who was standing beside him, oblivious and still clapping happily, and cursed him as an idiot in his heart.

Matt frowned inwardly, recalling the racial discrimination incident caused by the security guard at the gate.

Li Xiang is indeed exceptionally talented, but it seems he and Sony are inherently at odds...

After everyone's excitement subsided, Matt finally spoke.

"This is the best movie I've seen this year. It doesn't have fancy special effects, but it surprised me greatly just with its performances, lighting, editing, and soundtrack."

"Director Damien, you will definitely become famous overnight with this film and officially start your Hollywood career."

"It's clear that Li also approves of this version of the edit. So let's stick with this version and not make any further changes."

Li Xiang naturally had no objections to the fact that the final edited version was finalized so smoothly.

It would be ideal if he could get the results he wanted without having to exert pressure, and he didn't want to be seen as arrogant and domineering.

Therefore, he didn't say much, but simply patted Damien on the back as a congratulatory gesture.

"Next, we should also talk about the release date and the whole process of competing for awards."

As they talked, they moved to the meeting room next to the screening room.

Regarding the film's release schedule, Li Xiang had no say in the matter and wasn't particularly interested either, remaining silent throughout.

But when the topic turned to award planning and resource investment, he sat up straight.

This subtle change also caught the attention of Matt and Michael.

"I suggest focusing your efforts on winning awards in North America..."

"While the three major European film festivals are highly prestigious, their next screening isn't until next year. So, the film will be given priority for screening at the Toronto International Film Festival."

"In addition, starting in October, the company will arrange a series of FYC special screenings, and will invite a large number of Academy members to attend."

"At the same time, we will also send film resources to some members and film critics to ensure that those who cannot attend in person can watch the complete film at home."

As Matt explained his plan, he turned to look at Li Xiang, who was listening attentively.

"So, Li, what are your plans?"

"For FYC events, if you can't attend in person, the effect of that investment will be reduced by about half."

"You should also be aware that a two-month special screening will consume a huge amount of the company's funds and resources."

"If you're looking for awards, starting in Toronto in September and continuing through the FYC events from October to December, you'll need to stay in the US for an extended period."

"I have no problem on my end," Li Xiang said decisively.

"I've already cleared a large portion of my schedule for this, I just hope Sony won't let me down..."

Now that things have come to this, he no longer hides his ambition to win awards.

The others had expected this to happen.

With the film's quality evident and Li Xiang possessing considerable wealth and influence, aiming for a major award was entirely within their expectations.